The 1988 AFC Youth Championship were held between October 17 and October 28 in Doha, capital of Qatar. Eight teams entered the final tournament, playing for the Asian Youth title and a spot at the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship in Saudi Arabia.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | َQatar |
| Dates | 17–28 October |
| Teams | 8 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Iraq (4th title) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 39 (2.44 per match) |
← 1986 1990 → | |
Iraq won the tournament, beating Syria 4–3 after a penalty shootout. Hosts Qatar grabbed the third place.[citation needed]
The Iraqi team qualified for the World Cup Finals, whereas Syria and Qatar had to enter a play-off round against Australia and New Zealand. Syria won the tournament which was hosted in January 1989 in Aleppo.[citation needed]
Teams
editGroup stage
editGroup A
edit| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Syria
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 |
 Qatar
|
4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 |
 North Korea
|
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 |
 China
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 |
| Qatar | 4 – 1 | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| North Korea | 0 – 2 | Syria |
|---|---|---|
| North Korea | 3 – 1 | China |
|---|---|---|
Group B
edit| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iraq
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
 United Arab Emirates
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
 South Korea
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
 Japan
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | −4 |
| Japan | 1 – 3 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Iraq | 0 – 0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 1 – 2 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 0 – 1 | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
Semi finals
edit| Syria | 2 – 0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
Third place play-off
edit| Qatar | 2 – 0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
Final
editQualification to World Youth Championship
editThe following teams qualified for the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship.
Iraq
Syria
Saudi Arabia (host)
